The United States has withdrawn the bulk of its troops deployed for a joint counterterrorism mission in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin following the successful operation that killed the second-in-command of the Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh).
Despite the troop drawdown, Washington said it remains committed to supporting Nigeria through intelligence sharing and other security cooperation.
The Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, disclosed this during a virtual press briefing on the outcome of the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026.
According to Anderson, the completed operation not only strengthened security in the Lake Chad Basin but also disrupted the global ISIS network.
“That operation in the Lake Chad Basin of Nigeria not only helped the countries in that immediate region; it also helps countries globally as it disrupts the ISIS network,” he said.
He explained that although most U.S. personnel involved in the mission had returned home, intelligence collaboration with Nigeria would continue at the request of the Nigerian government.
“We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but we are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the intelligence sharing and the understanding that’s necessary to prosecute these difficult tasks,” Anderson added.
The U.S. commander described Nigeria as a capable ally with a strong military and said the intelligence partnership between both countries had produced significant gains in the fight against terrorism.
According to him, intelligence cooperation between the United States and Nigeria culminated in a joint operation that eliminated the deputy leader of ISIS, who was responsible for the group’s global operations, media activities and recruitment.
“I think the partnership that we’ve shown recently with Nigeria demonstrates that Nigeria is a very capable and large country with a strong economy, an educated population and a capable military.
“There are things we have learned in the counterterrorism fight over several years that we were able to integrate with them through intelligence sharing. That cooperation eventually led to a joint effort where we brought unique U.S. capabilities to successfully target the number two leader within ISIS or Daesh, who was responsible for much of the group’s global operations, media and recruitment,” he said.
Anderson noted that the outcome underscored the effectiveness of intelligence cooperation over prolonged foreign troop deployments in combating terrorism.
